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Nowshera Is Still Under Water

By Mujahid Hussain, emergency program manager for CARE in Pakistan

August 6, 2010

Nowshera has been declared one of the calamity areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Entire villages and farms have been swept away. Homes have disappeared under flood waters and livestock have been left to rot in the mud.

CARE”s team has responded to the needs of the affected population through our local partners with basic non-food items to the locals, who were able to come to the accessible highland areas and roads. Through our partners and relief team's rapid assessment, surveys have been conducted to ascertain facts and figures about the damages and losses of the people in the area.

As the floods have caused extensive damage to crops, livestock and other food sources in the affected regions, food supply issues remain paramount. People are in desperate need of food and shelter and, as the days pass by, health issues are getting worse.

Here's what we heard from some of the people:

"Thousands of lives could be lost if food aid and shelter do not reach the affected communities within the coming days."

“My six acres of land washed out in front of my eyes and I couldn”t do anything. All my crops have vanished. My whole family is homeless; now we are sleeping on the road."

"The flood has left no difference between rich and poor; every one is suffering losses and striving for their lives."

“I had a four-story big house in Nowshera. My daughter was suppose to get married this month and all her dowry items were ready, including furniture, gold, clothing, appliances along with her wedding dress. Now we are left with nothing except the hope of getting the basics to survive."

“There is so much mud due to the devastation."

"The situation is getting even worse as people are throwing all the food waste nearby. It is causing more pollution in the vicinity and will turn out to be a major reason of health and hygiene issues."

“Oh God, why we have to suffer again and again ..."

“We have become migrants in our own homes.’

"There is nothing but just water all around us."

“We don”t have even clean drinking water as all wells have been contaminated and waterborne diseases are spreading."

"I've lost my house and everything, including food."

“Food and water comes in every day from local donors but they don't know when or how much there will be -- and there's never enough."